“So you’re friends with her again?” Regulus asked as he pulled me back against his chest. We were sat behind the desk in our favourite third floor classroom, his back against the hard wood as I cuddled into him, settled in between his legs.

“Yep, she apologised and I’ve missed her” I replied, reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. After some snogging as soon as we’d arrived, we’d sat down behind the desk to tell one another about our week so far. It was early morning, before breakfast was even on the tables in the Great Hall, but we hadn’t seen one another in a few days except for when he dragged me into a broom cupboard for a snog, so we’d both sacrificed sleep for one another.

“But you’ve got me” Regulus pouted, and I laughed as I stretched upwards to kiss him quickly.

“You have other friends, too” I wrinkled my nose slightly, and Regulus smirked. He was aware of how much I disliked his Slytherin friends. And of how much they disliked me, too.

“So what was your excuse for coming in late?”

“I said it wasn’t any of her business” I shrugged. “But she saw us in the grounds after Hogsmeade, so I think she’s a bit suspicious. We should be a bit more careful.”

“I think waking up at the crack of dawn to meet is being careful, Adrienne” Regulus snorted, playing with a strand of my hair as it began to tickle his chin.

“I know” I replied with a stern look as I twisted in his arms to face him, crouching on my knees. “But I wanted you to be aware of it. So she doesn’t catch you staring at me.”

“You’re the one that’s always staring at me!” he replied, brushing his hands up my bare back and grinning as I shifted closer to him, arching my back at his touch.

“You do it too, I know you do” I smirked, winding my arms around his neck and bending forward to kiss him.

I slipped my tongue into his mouth as he eagerly responded, his hands quickly moving to brush up my torso. I moved so I was straddling him, and his hands shifted to my legs, slipping up my skirt and fiddling with the edges of my knickers where they met my hips. I pushed myself against him harder, my hands digging into his thick hair, grasping at the black tendrils at the back of his neck as he bit down on my lip, running his tongue over it soothingly.

“I could say the same about you” I muttered, pulling his mouth back to mine once more.

*

“Morning” I smiled to Lucy and Peter as I slipped onto the bench opposite them, joining them at the Hufflepuff table for once.

Peter offered me a small smile as he munched on his cereal, but Lucy’s expression was stony.

“Where’ve you been this morning? I woke up and you were gone.”

“Oh, sorry Luce! I didn’t think to leave a note…” I smiled apologetically, the lies coming easily to my practised tongue. “I was in the library; I had a History of Magic essay to finish for today’s lesson.”

“No you weren’t” she replied as she slammed her mug of tea down onto the table. The Hufflepuffs around us practically jumped out of their skin, not used to anger at their house table.

“What?” I laughed nervously. “Of course I was.”

“Then why did Amos hear some boy say your name when he was passing a third floor classroom?”

“It was obviously someone else…”

“You’re the only Adrienne in Hogwarts!” Lucy hissed. “Why did you just lie to me?”

“He didn’t even tell me!” Lucy said hotly. “He asked Peter if you had a boyfriend, and Peter asked me about it! Who is it? Why are you lying, Addie?!”

“I’m not lying!”

“If you’re not lying, then give me the name of someone who saw you in the library” Lucy demanded.

“What is this, a murder inquiry?! For merlin’s sake, Lucy, you are not my mother…or Marlene, for that matter!”

“Just give me a name, Addie!”

“No, I refuse to-”

“Addie-” Lucy gritted her teeth.

“I can’t give you one because nobody saw me!” I burst out, narrowing my eyes at her and slamming my fist down on the table. “Just bloody shut up about it, Lucy!”

“I’m writing to Marlene” she allowed Peter to take her hand supportively.

“Why would you do that?” I scoffed. “You’ll just get her worried for no reason! She doesn’t need any extra worry, Lucy!”

“Well I’m worried too! About you! Why are you being like this? What have you got to hide?”

“Nothing” I hissed, standing up from the table hastily.

“Addie-” Lucy reached forward to grab for me, put I flinched away.

“Peter” I snapped at the bemused, slightly embarrassed boy who had his arm around Lucy now. “Where’s Amos? I want to hex his balls off.”

“Don’t know” Peter replied with a wide-eyed expression, and I sighed, infuriated. Without another glance at Lucy, I stormed out of the Great Hall and towards my History of Magic class.

The corridors began to fill with students as I reached the second floor where my classroom was, and as I inched through the crowds towards the door, where Regulus was leant against the wall opposite, watching me with a wry smile, somebody grabbed my arm.

I twisted around immediately, expecting to come face to face with some Slytherin looking for trouble, but instead raised my eyebrows at Amos Diggory’s smirk loomed into view.

“I take it Lucy told you what I heard.”

“Oh, yes thanks for that” I replied sarcastically, wrenching my arm from his grasp. “You’re such a dick, spreading lies like that to her!”

“Not a lie though, was it Addie?” he smirked. “I know what I heard, and it’s fairly obvious you’ve got some poor bloke on the go, Lucy says she hardly sees you during the day.”

“Oh, shut up Amos. You don’t know anything!”

“No, you’re right about that” he chuckled. “But I will. Because you’re obviously trying to hide him from Lucy, but I’ll find out who it is unless you give me something I want.”

“And what would that be?” I feigned interest, rolling my eyes at his cliché threat.

“You” he raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “Like I did last year… it’d be fun, Addie. We both know that.”

“That’s disgusting” I managed to spit out after glaring at him in disbelief for a few moments. “Blackmailing girls into kissing you now, Amos? Are you really that desperate?”

“Only for you baby” he winked cheerily, and I opened my mouth to reply but didn’t get the chance as a flash of purple light whizzed over my head and hit Amos directly in the chest. He toppled backwards, and the crowd around us parted slightly as he fell to the ground.

I gaped at his unconscious figure for a moment, which had begun to sprout tentacles, then quickly backed away from the scene, finally coming to rest against the wall Regulus was leant against. I watched him pocket his wand and then cast a smirk in my direction as a group of Hufflepuff seventh years Amos was friendly with, including Peter, helped to levitate his tentacle-covered body towards the Hospital Wing.

“That was a nice curse” I muttered under my breath to Regulus as we made our way into the classroom.

Regulus reached out and pinched my bottom gently in the reply, and I had to bite down on my lip to stop a squeal escaping.

*

“You hexed Amos” Lucy said in an unimpressed tone as I joined her by the fire in the common room that evening.

“What?” I laughed. “I swear that wasn’t me.”

“I hope you’re happy” Lucy tutted. “Peter says he won’t be out of the Hospital Wing until the end of the week now.”

Silence fell upon us and I stared into the fire, thinking of Regulus but distracted by the scratching of her quill.

“I hope you’re not writing to Marlene” I turned to glare at her, and Lucy knitted her eyebrows together in a frown.

“No, I’m not actually” she pursed her lips as she signed her name at the bottom of the parchment. “I’m writing to Remus.”

“Ooh, really?” I smiled, holding out my hand. “Let me see it, then!”

“Addie, it’s sort of private…”

I raised my eyebrows at her and with a defeated sigh, she passed it to me, slumping back into her armchair and closing her eyes as I read it.

Dear Remus,

I hope you’re well, and as always, please send my regards to your mother as well. I hope she’ll be better soon.

I realise you’re probably angry about what happened in Hogsmeade, and I don’t really know how to explain myself.

Adrienne and I have made up now, and you deserve to know the whole truth. I felt I should explain what I said, as I lied when I said Adrienne had told me about you having feelings for me, because I was angry and upset and I am so, so embarrassed about the whole thing.

I’d really like to meet up soon, just to explain myself properly. And I know you don’t feel the same, and I have Peter and I love him, but I’d really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Lucy

“What do you think?” she muttered through her clasped hands and I flashed her a gentle smile as I gave her the letter back.

“Hmmm…” Lucy shrugged, before suddenly reaching over to hug me. “I’m sorry for pushing you about the Amos thing, Addie” she smiled apologetically. “I just don’t want you to be getting in any danger or something.”